1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a steering body which is provided at the rear of a steering wheel in a vehicle and provided with switches and associated auxiliary equipments surrounding a steering column of the vehicle, and more particularly to a steering wire harness, a steering module and a wiring system of the steering wire harness which can deal with any change in design of a steering section without modifying a control board, and in which wire arranging performance is easy.
2. Related Art
A related steering module designates a steering body provided at the rear of a steering wheel in a vehicle and provided with switches and associated auxiliary equipments surrounding a steering column of the vehicle, and which has a structure as shown in FIG. 5. In particular, a steering module (steering body) 1 includes a combination switch box 2, to which a wiper lever 3 and a light control lever 4 are attached. In this combination switch box 2, are incorporated a wiper control switch and a wiper control circuit corresponding to the wiper lever 3, and a light control switch and a light control circuit corresponding to the light control lever 4 respectively.
By operating this wiper lever 3, controls of the wiper such as injection of window washer liquid, start of the wiper, setting of intermittent working time of the wiper, etc. are conducted. By operating the light control lever 4, controls of various lights such as switching on and off head lamps, stop lamps, parking lamps, etc. are conducted.
The combination switch box 2 is provided with a steering column main shaft 5. This steering column main shaft 5 is expanded and contracted by actions of a telescopic motor 6 thereby to adjust positions of a steering wheel (handle) in forward and backward directions. The steering module (the steering body) 1 further includes a tilt motor which is not shown in the drawing because it is located on a lower face side in FIG. 5. This tilt motor is adapted to bend the steering column main shaft 5 to adjust vertical positions of the steering wheel (the handle).
Numeral 7 represents a steering column upper tube. Numeral 8 represents a steering column tube.
Numeral 9 represents a key cylinder fixed to the steering column tube 8 and adapted to actuate an engine and accessory switches on and off by means of an engine key inserted and rotated in the key cylinder.
Numerals 10 and 11 represent mounting plates attached to the steering column tube 8. The mounting plate 10 is provided with a pair of bolt holes 12, 13 into which bolts are inserted, while the mounting plate 11 is provided with a pair of bolt holes 14, 15 into which bolts are inserted. The mounting plate 11 is further provided with a pair of steering energy absorbing plates 17 for absorbing backlash which occurs when the steering module (the steering body) 1 is fixed to a reinforce 16. This reinforce 16 is fixed between left and right walls of the vehicle for the purpose of reinforcing the vehicle body and formed in a C-shape in cross section. An instrument panel wire harness 26 is contained in the reinforce 16.
Numeral 18 represents a wiper connector. Numeral 19 represents a light control connector. Numeral 20 represents a telescopic connector. Numeral 21 represents a tilt connector.
In the steering module (the steering body) 1 which is shown in FIG. 5, wiring arrangement is as shown in FIG. 6. In particular, a wiper control switch 30 is connected to a combination switch 27 with its connectors 34, 35 on a wiper side engaged with connectors 36, 37 on a combination switch side. Further, a light control switch 31 is connected to the combination switch 27 with its connectors 38, 39 on a light side engaged with connectors 40, 41 on the combination switch side. A tilt and telescopic switch 32 for switching the telescopic motor 6 and the tilt motor 22 is connected to the combination switch 27 with its connector 42 on a tilt and telescopic side engaged with a connector 43 on the combination switch side. This combination switch 27 is connected to a connector 45 on an instrument panel side which is fitted to an end of the instrumental panel wire harness 26 through a connector 44 which is provided on the combination switch 27 for connection with the exterior.
The telescopic motor 6 is connected to an instrument panel side connector 47 through a connector 46. The tilt motor 22 is connected to an instrument panel side connector 49 through a connector 48. Actuating power is supplied from the instrument panel wire harness 26.
A tilt and telescopic control circuit 33 for controlling the telescopic motor 6 and the tilt motor 22 is connected to an instrument panel side connector 51 by way of a connector 50. The telescopic motor 6 and the tilt motor 22 are controlled by the tilt and telescopic control circuit 33 through the instrument panel wire harness 26. This tilt and telescopic control circuit 33 is fixed to the body.
In the related steering module constructed in this manner, the wiper control switch 30 and the wiper control circuit corresponding to the wiper lever 3, and the light control switch 31 and the light control circuit corresponding to the light control lever 4 are respectively contained in the combination switch box 2. Connectors 18, 19 for connection with the exterior are attached to this combination switch box 2. The instrument panel side connector 45 of the instrument panel wire harness 26 is connected to the connector 44 for the connection with the exterior of the combination switch 27 which is connected to the connectors 18, 19, whereby the wiper control switch 30 and the light control switch 31 are connected to the instrument panel wire harness 26.
A driver control circuit of a steering angle sensor 28 is provided inside the steering angle sensor 28. This steering angle sensor 28 is connected directly to the instrument panel wire harness 26, by connecting a connector 52 for connection with the exterior to an instrument panel side connector 53 of the instrument panel wire harness 26.
The tilt and telescopic control circuit 33 for controlling the telescopic motor 6 and the tilt motor 22 is connected to an instrument panel side connector 51 through a connector 50, and fixed to the body.
Such being the wiring arrangement, on each occasion where an outer design of the combination switch box 2 is changed, circuit boards for the wiper control circuit and the light control circuit must be redesigned, and it has been a problem that versatility of the circuit boards is low.
Moreover, since the various control circuits and the instrument panel wire harness 26 are directly connected, it has been necessary to prepare a number of connectors which are extended to various auxiliary equipments. Therefore, it has been another problem that wiring work becomes complicated and takes a lot of troubles, and workability of connecting the connectors on occasion of mounting the steering module will be low.
An object of the invention is to provide a wiring arrangement in which any design change of the steering section can be dealt with without modifying the designs of the circuit boards, maintenance can be easily performed in case where an abnormal accident has occurred in the control circuits, and assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by fitting the steering module to the reinforce, thereby enhancing the workability of connecting the connectors.
In order to attain the above described object, a steering wire harness includes a first steering wire harness which is connected at its one end to auxiliary equipments provided on a steering body and provided with a first connector portion at the other end, and a second steering wire harness which includes a second connector portion adapted to be engaged with the first connector portion at its one end and a third connector portion adapted to be connected to an instrument panel wire at the other end.
By constructing the steering wire harness in this manner, according to the invention, assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by simply fitting the steering module to the reinforce, and the workability of connecting the connectors can be enhanced.
In order to attain the above described object, a steering wire harness is connected to a control unit at its one end, and includes at the other end an instrument panel side connector portion which is connected to an instrument panel wire, and at least one auxiliary equipment side connector portion which supplies a control signal from the control unit to an auxiliary equipment provided on a steering body.
By constructing the steering wire harness in this manner, according to the invention, any design change of the steering section can be dealt with without modifying the designs of the circuit boards, maintenance can be easily performed in case where an abnormal accident has occurred in the control circuits, and assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by fitting the steering module to the reinforce, thereby enhancing the workability of connecting the connectors.
In order to attain the above described object, a steering module is provided at the rear of a steering wheel in a vehicle and comprises a steering wire harness connected to a control unit at its one end, and including at the other end an instrument panel side connector portion which is connected to an instrument panel wire, and at least one auxiliary equipment side connector portion which supplies a control signal from the control unit to an auxiliary equipment provided on a steering body, the steering wire harness being fixed to the steering body.
By constructing the steering module in this manner, according to the invention, any design change of the steering section can be dealt with without modifying the designs of the circuit boards, maintenance can be easily performed in case where an abnormal accident has occurred in the control circuits, and assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by fitting the steering module to the reinforce thereby enhancing the workability of connecting the connectors.
In order to attain the above described object, in the steering module, the instrument panel side connector portion is fixed to the steering body and face to a mounting face of a vehicle body side.
By constructing the steering module in this manner, according to the invention, assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by simply fitting the steering module to the reinforce, and the workability of connecting the connectors can be enhanced.
In order to attain the above described object, a wiring system of a steering wire harness is constructed in such a manner that electric power for actuating auxiliary equipments provided on a steering body is obtained from an instrument panel wire harness by way of a control unit connected to the auxiliary equipments and having control function for controlling a specified one of the auxiliary equipments according to a detection signal outputted from the specified auxiliary equipment concerning the specified auxiliary equipment, the detection signal outputted from the auxiliary equipment or a control signal outputted from the auxiliary equipment being respectively transmitted to the instrument panel wire harness by way of the control unit.
By constructing the wiring system of the steering wire harness in this manner, according to the invention, any design change of the steering section can be dealt with without modifying the designs of the circuit boards, maintenance can be easily performed in case where an abnormal accident has occurred in the control circuits, and assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by fitting the steering module to the reinforce thereby enhancing the workability of connecting the connectors.